Chicagoans John Gabel (left) and his father Gary (right) were killed in a shooting at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan on April 23. John's mother is pictured sitting between the two. (Hadi Hedayati photo)

A woman with Chicago-area ties is recovering from injuries in Germany after she was wounded in an attack that killed her husband and father-in-law in Afghanistan last week.

Teresa Gabel was with her husband, John Gabel, and father-in-law Gary Gabel, of Palatine, visiting the grounds of CURE International's hospital when a police officer working as a security guard opened fire at the Kabul hospital.

The Gabel men were killed in the shooting. Chicago pediatrician Jerry Umanos also died.

Mohammad Hadi Hedayati, Kabul University's vice chancellor of administrative affairs, offered a brief update of Teresa Gabel's condition, reporting in an email Monday: "Teresa is doing well, but she is in Germany now, she went there for treatment."

Hedayati worked with John Gabel, 32, and considered him a close friend. The Palatine native was working as a visiting lecturer at Kabul University's information technology department.

The young family, including daughter, Laila, have been based overseas in recent years. Previously, John and Teresa Gabel were living in Illinois.

Both graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, school officials said, and John Gabel worked for years at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, a research unit of the university.

He left his job in the information technology department in November 2010, saying he was going to pursue work in central Asia, said Amy Dillman, who worked closely with John Gabel at the center.

"I think John just had a calling and he could see where, the work he was good at -- the programming and the information technology -- could be useful and of service to other areas and other parts of the world that really needed that infrastructure," Dillman said. "There's so many people that are really holding things up behind the scenes and he was one of those people."

Dillman also said John Gabel had taken time off for missionary work previous to his resignation. She said the center still uses programs originally created by their old colleague.

"He was just one of those helpful guys," she said. "He was always just friendly. He always had a smile. I think he enjoyed his work. That really came through."

John Gabel grew up in Palatine, where his family still lives. The Gabels were active members of the Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights.

Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes said he's been a close family friend for 25 years. The mayor and Gary Gabel were youth group leaders together, and John Gabel grew up with Hayes' son, Tim. The two played on sports teams together because they were about the same age, Hayes said.

Gary Gabel was also a lauded singer with the church choir and was expected to perform at a music event in just a few days.

"It will be a very emotional time. He's very close to all members of the church," Hayes said. "The whole family always wanted to give back and use the talents they were given in the best way possible."

No services have been set yet for the Gabels, Hayes said. Gary Gabel's wife, Betty, remains overseas and is not expected back home for at least a week.